Microbial electrochemical cells and methods for producing electricity and bioproducts therein

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015233001-A1
Application number	US-201514705766-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 6, 2015
Priority date	Mar 17, 2010
Publication date	Aug 20, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

Bioelectrochemical systems comprising a microbial fuel cell (MFC) or a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) are provided. Either type of system is capable of fermenting insoluble or soluble biomass, with the MFC capable of using a consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) organism to also hydrolyze an insoluble biomass, and an electricigen to produce electricity. In contrast, the MEC relies on electricity input into the system, a fermentative organism and an electricigen to produce fermentative products such as ethanol and 1,3-propanediol from a polyol biomass (e.g., containing glycerol). Related methods are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A microbial electrolysis cell comprising:
an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a reference electrode electronically connected to each other and to an external electric current capable of creating a potential between the anode and cathode; a first microbial biocatalyst located in an anode chamber of the anode electrode comprising a fermentative organism capable of fermenting biomass to produce one or more fermentation product; and a second microbial biocatalyst located in the anode chamber comprising an electricigen capable of transferring electrons present in said fermentation products to the anode electrode to produce hydrogen at the cathode.

2 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 1 wherein the microbial biocatalyst is capable of co-fermenting six- and five-carbon sugars and the second microbial biocatalyst is capable of removing substantially all the electrons present in said fermentation products.

3 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 1 wherein the biomass is a polyol.

4 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 3 wherein the polyol is glycerin-containing water.

5 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 1 further comprising an exchange membrane capable of transferring electrons and protons.

6 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 1 further comprising an electronic device connected to the anode electrode, the cathode electrode and the reference electrode.

7 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 1 wherein the anode electrode, the cathode electrode and the reference electrode are located in a single chamber.

8 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 7 wherein the anode electrode and the reference electrode are located in a first chamber and the cathode electrode is located in a second chamber.

9 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 1 wherein the fermentative organism comprises one or more cellulomonads.

10 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 9 wherein at least one of the one or more cellulomonads is Cellulomonas uda (Cuda), clostridial or a clostridial-related strain.

11 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 10 wherein the clostridial-related strain is C. lentocellum or Acetivibrio celluloyticus.

12 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 9 wherein at least one of the one or more cellulomonads is A. Acellulolyticus, C. cellobioparum (Cce) or a combination thereof.

13 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 12 wherein the Cce is a glycerol- or alcohol-tolerant strain of Cce or a combination thereof.

14 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 9 wherein at least one of the one or more cellulomonads is an alcohol-tolerant cellulomonad.

15 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 1 wherein the electricigen is Geobacter sulfurreducens.

16 . The microbial electrolysis cell of claim 1 wherein said fermentation products are ethanol and/or 1,3-propanediol (PDO).

17 . A method of using a microbial electrolysis cell comprising:
performing a fermentation step in an anode chamber of the microbial electrolysis cell to convert biomass to a biofuel with a first organism in the presence of an electric current, wherein the anode chamber contains an anode electrode and the converting step produces one or more fermentation products; transferring electrons in the byproduct to the anode electrode with a second organism to produce a film; and allowing the film to catalytically split the electrons and protons, wherein the electrons flow towards a cathode electrode located in a cathode chamber of the microbial electrolysis cell to produce electricity, and the protons permeate a proton-exchange membrane connecting the anode chamber and the cathode chamber, wherein the electrons and protons react to produce hydrogen gas.

18 . The method of claim 17 wherein the biomass is glycerin-containing water.

19 . The method of claim 17 wherein the bioproduct is ethanol and/or 1,3-propanediol.

20 . The method of claim 1 wherein the anode has a buffering capacity which is adjustable through use of various buffering systems.

21 . A system comprising:
a biofuel production facility configured to produce a biofuel and a biomass waste stream, wherein the biofuel is produced from biomass; and a microbial electrolysis cell system configured to produce alcohol and/or 1,3-propanediol from the biomass waste stream, the microbial electrolysis cell system comprising: an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a reference electrode electronically connected to each other; an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a reference electrode electronically connected to each other and to an external electric current capable of creating a potential between the anode and cathode; a first microbial biocatalyst located in an anode chamber of the anode electrode comprising a fermentative organism capable of fermenting biomass to produce one or more fermentation product; and a second microbial biocatalyst located in the anode chamber comprising an electricigen capable of transferring substantially electrons present in said fermentation products to the anode electrode to produce hydrogen at the cathode.

22 . The system of claim 21 wherein the biofuel production facility is a biodiesel production facility and the biomass wastestream is a glycerin-containing biomass waste stream.

Assignees

• Univ Michigan State

Inventors

• Reguera Gemma
• Speers Allison M
• Young Jenna M
• Awate Bhushan

Classifications

• C12P7/18

  polyhydric · CPC title

• C25B3/00

  Electrolytic production of organic compounds · CPC title

• H01M2250/00

  Fuel cells for particular applications; Specific features of fuel cell system · CPC title

• C12P7/065 Primary

  with microorganisms other than yeasts · CPC title

• H01M8/22

  Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising carbon or oxygen or hydrogen and other elements; Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising only elements other than carbon, oxygen or hydrogen · CPC title